Stores offered rock-bottom prices and extended return policies as shoppers returned to the malls the day after Christmas.
But many were on the hunt for big bargains on specific items or hoping to return unwanted gifts -- not looking to splurge.
That kind of focus by shoppers could spell deep trouble for the nation's stores, which are facing the worst holiday shopping season in decades.
Holiday sales -- which typically account for 30 percent to 50 percent of a retailer's annual total -- have been less than jolly. Job cuts, portfolio losses and other economic woes have led many Americans to cut back on their spending.
According to preliminary data from SpendingPulse, which tracks purchases paid for by credit card, checks or cash, retail sales fell between 5.5 percent and 8 percent during the holiday season compared with last year.
More people did appear to shop online, particularly in the last two weeks of the season, when storms hit. Online sales dipped just 2.3 percent, SpendingPulse said.
A fuller indicator of how retailers fared will arrive Jan. 8, when major stores report same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, for December.
